Henry Purcell: Love Restor'd

by Ceruleo

Overview

The "song" as such in the music of Henry Purcell is less a defined genre than a type of piece that may appear in other works, from operas to a variety of other stage genres. There are also freestanding pieces, and all of them would have been interspersed in performance with instrumental works, often for keyboard. There are numerous Purcell songs, but convincing performances of them are lacking. That makes this release by the early music quintet Ceruleo quite valuable, for it offers a cross-section of music by Purcell and his contemporaries -- John Blow, John Eccles, and the little-known Italian transplant Francesco Corbetta -- that might have been heard in the composer's own time. It is an attractive group of pieces, with several duets on which the voices of sopranos Emily Owen and Jenni Harper blend effectively. For many listeners, the album will stand or fall on their voices, which are silvery and modest-sized; they fit with the chamber conception of the album and balance well with the full group of just five players. One of those is harpsichordist Satoko Doi-Luck, who also plays the solo keyboard pieces and offers some interesting reflections. Resonus' church sound robs the music of some of its intimacy, but many will find this a useful and enjoyable release of music of the English Restoration period. ~ James Manheim

Product Details

Release Date:	01/06/2023
Label:	Resonus / Resonus Classics
UPC:	5060262793442
Rank:	176112

Tracks

1. The Glorious Day Is Come~Couch'd by the Pleasant Helliconian Spring
2. Dioclesian, Z.627~Act V: Oh, the Sweet Delights of Love
3. A New Ground in E minor, ZT.682
4. The Fairy Queen, Z.629~Act V: O Let Me Weep
5. The Fairy Queen, Z.629~Overture
6. Celebrate This Festival, Z.321~Crown the Altar, Deck the Shrine
7. Love's Goddess Sure Was Blind, Z.331~Many Such Days May She Behold
8. Laudate Nomen Domini
9. The Queen's Epicedium
10. O dive custos Auriacae domus, Z.504
11. Chaconne
12. She Loves and She Confesses Too, Z.413
13. Haste, Give Me Wings
14. Suite No. 2 in D minor~Ground
15. The Maid's Last Prayer, Z.601 No, Resistance is But Vain
16. Suite No. 6 in D major, Z.667~Prelude
17. Suite No. 6 in D major, Z.667~Almand
18. Suite No. 6 in D major, Z.667~[Hornpipe]
19. Don Quixote, Z.578 Act IV: From Rosy Bow'rs
20. The Fairy Queen, Z.629~Act III: If Love's a Sweet Passion

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Ceruleo   Primary Artist,Ensemble
Jenni Harper   Soprano (Vocal)
Emily Owen   Soprano (Vocal)

Technical Credits

Henry Purcell   Composer
George Herbert   Text
John Blow   Composer
Francesco Corbetta   Composer
Edmund Pickering   Harpsichord Tuner
John Eccles   Composer
Charles Sedley   Text
Thomas Betterton   Text
Jane Julier   Instrument Design
Oliver Taplin   Text Translation
Henry Parker   Text
Nahum Tate   Text
Thomas d'Urfey   Text
Colin Booth   Harpsichord Maker
Martin Haycock   Instrument Design
Klaus Toft Jacobsen   Instrument Design
Abraham Cowley   Text
Adam Binks   Editing,Engineer,Producer
Anthony Henley   Text
Sam Stadlen   Videography
Fabrizio Conte   Cover Image
Ceruleo   Liner Notes